Firefighters pulled a woman from a burning apartment unit at 7609 NE Vancouver Mall Dr on Saturday after crews found the building engulfed in smoke and flames, escalating their response to a second alarm before locating and rescuing her. She was given medical treatment at the scene and transported by ambulance to a hospital, authorities said.
The Vancouver Fire Department responded to reports of smoke and fire at the address Saturday, according to KOIN.com. The address is in the Walnut Grove area near the Vancouver Mall commercial corridor. When crews arrived, they found an apartment unit on fire, the station's report states.
Second Alarm Doubles the Response
As conditions worsened, firefighters requested a second alarm, a dispatch escalation that automatically adds three more engine companies and an additional ladder truck company to the response, per Wikipedia. Second alarms are typically called when a structure fire outstrips the tactical capacity of the units already on scene. Crews entered the building, located the woman, and rescued her safely before extinguishing the fire, per the same account.
Vancouver Fire Department Station 5, in Walnut Grove, houses engine, truck, and heavy-rescue units. Station 3 is on North Devine Road. All 911 call handling and dispatch for fire and medical incidents across Vancouver runs through the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency, the county's single public safety answering point.
Medical Care Before Hospital Transport
Once outside, the woman received initial life-support stabilization from Vancouver Fire Department engine crews before being handed off to American Medical Response for ambulance transport to a hospital, a dual-tier system that reflects Vancouver's status as the largest service area in Western Washington without public ALS ambulance service. Her current medical condition has not been released.
Vancouver Fire Department has the state's highest call volume per firefighter. The department also investigated a fire at a dealership on nearby Northeast 66th Avenue that destroyed 12 vehicles, according to KGW.
Cause Still Under Investigation
The cause of the apartment fire remains under investigation, authorities said.
Open questions remain about the extent of structural damage to neighboring units at Larkspur Place and the woman's current condition. The extent of damage to the rest of the apartment building has not been detailed.
